can you advise on a very awkward situation?

[flipnflap]

We recently bought a flat in a small block and have successfully rented it out. However, our tenants have become increasingly troubled by the man in the flat immediately underneath who coughs his guts up all day and all night, often sounding as if he's being sick. They resorted to wearing earplugs at night, but can still hear him - that's how awful it is. Our tenants are now threatening to leave unless we sort the situation and, if they do leave, we'll be obliged to warn other potential tenants in future. We don't know the sickly man (who apparently is only in his 30s or 40s and owns his flat) and we don't live in that block, so we're wary of his reaction if we confront him, however gently, over such a delicate matter. What do you suggest?

[41cloud41]

http://www.authspot.com/Poetry/Melancholy-Trut h.184833

Try to look at that!

[LoftyLottie]

How on earth can your tenants expect you to sort out a situation like this. It's a very unreasonable request. The poor man is obviously ill and not doing this intentionally.

That is the risk you take when you live in a flat where you are aware of neighbour noise.

You can't confront the man over this.

All I can suggest is that you let your tenants leave and then perhaps soundproof the floor!

[obNOXious]

Well really I think you ought to let your tenants go and see how you go with the next batch... because what exactly do you think that this man can do about his coughing?
Clearly no-one's going to be doing it on purpose and if he owns his own flat then really he's entitled to be as ill in it as he likes ( hell he might be dying of lung cancer or something really terrible).
I just don't see that even approaching him will be the answer, and your next batch of tenants might be entirely more unselective.
I've rented out property for many years and what bothers one person doesn't bother another, and I really wouldn't be worrying about 'disclosing' the guy in the flat has a cough to new tenants, that's really unnecessary, as the worse case scenario will be it'll annoy them too and they'll leave.
Very awkward situation but I really wouldn't approach him as I think he can't help it and it might be exceptionally cruel if he is seriously ill.... just dump your tenants and get new ones.

[LoftyLottie]

Perhaps your tenants should call on the man and tell them they are worried about him coughing and being ill and is there anything they can do to help him!

[puddicat]

flipnflap what the hell do these people want?its got nothing to do with you if the guy has reflux issues,what if other tenants were having noisy sex, or there were wife beaters living in a flat along side,its not ure problem!!!!

[terambulan]

Let the tennants go..........it's a good excuse to keep their deposit (to find replcements at short notice, etc)! Persuade them to sign away their deposit.....they'll probably think twice about that!

[Whoever]

This is really not your problem. The guy who is coughing probably has emphasaema, lung cancer or other severe respiratory problems. Whilst it must be annoying for your tenants to hear it night and morning, it is unfortunately just one of the noise problems which people who live in flats have to put up with. Is there more than one bedroom in this flat. Could your tenants move into a different bedroom so that they do not sleep immediately above him?
Maybe your tenants could drop him in a bottle of cough medication and say that they are concerned about him and wonder if that would help. If he's there all day, he's probably on benefits and too ill to work, in which case they can hardly harrangue an obviously sick man. You should let you tenants go. Maybe in the next flat they rent they'll end up living above a couple who row furiously night and morning and find they've gone from the frying pan into the fire.

[flipnflap]

All the flats in this block are 1-bedroom. To give you an idea how severe the noise this guy makes is, the old lady in the flat opposite the one we own can hear it - and she's neither directly above nor either side of him.

These responses so far are not what I was expecting at all. I have great sympathy with the tenants because I wouldn't be able to put up with this myself. However, I obviously welcome different opinions and respect them all. Keep 'em coming...

[bednobs]

i agree with all the above - waht do you expect to happen, even if you did confront the man? That he enjoys coughing, and is just doing it to tone up his muscles? and that he'll say "ok, i'll stop then"


you could put some soundproofing in your flat, or just get other tennants!

when you live in a block of flats or a terrace, this is just one of the things you have to expect, other people can hear your noise and you can hear theirs, that is just how life is till you can afford a house in it's own grounds! I have lived in many flats and we could always hear something -either noisy sex, loud tv, peeing in the middle of the night, toddlers jumping up and down, people doing DIY etc. really the only thing you can do is either get new tennants or do something to your flat that means they can't hear him

[sara3]

all sympathy to coughing man, but I know it would drive me nuts. if I was there I'm sure I would be looking to move but I wouldn't expect the landlord to sort it out.. it's a ridiculous request on their behalf.

I do also think someone could knock on his door and see if he is okay. I know he's not your problem but perhaps he can't get to the doctor/chemist to get something that might stop the damn cough!

[Tizzi247]

I also live in a flat and for the first 6 months, in the flat next to mine I could hear someone coughing badly for most of the day and it drove me nuts.I realised the person was obviously not well and just turned the TV up so that I couldn't hear it so much. It then went very quiet and I found out about 3 months later that the lady had died.

Your tenants shouldn't expect you to sort it out, if they don't like it, let them leave. He probably can't help it and could be dying. It's not very nice for him either.

[obNOXious]

"These responses so far are not what I was expecting at all. I have great sympathy with the tenants because I wouldn't be able to put up with this myself."

Frankly you were hoping that we'd all side with your obviously very shallow tenants and give you some amazing legal clause whereby you manage to silence this poor sick man , whose really doing no more than living in his OWN HOME being ill, possibly seriously ill. Well really that's not going to happen, just to be sure that all we answerbankers weren't off our heads I mentioned this in the pub last night and the reaction of the whole room was one of absolute disbelief that anyone was concerned about anything other than the man's welfare, so as you can see by the 30 or so folk in the pub and the ten fairly detailed answers here no-one in their right mind is going to give a hoot about the tenants whinging about something like this.
I suggest you tell them to get things in life a bit more in perspective, and stop asking ridiculous ( and cruel) things of you, this is not your responsibility and the poor man should be left in peace.

[chelle7272]

ObNOXious is absolutely right as are most other answerers. I live in a block suchas you describe and they are noisy. Don't like it, move.
I also had a neighbour with a noisy cough (putting it very lightly) and I was so worried that one day I would be hearing him die, I really can't believe your tenants are so selfish. And if they want something done, why can't they do it? They live there ,not you.
Though what they shoul be doing is making sure he is okay and trying to help the poor man!

[terambulan]

My asian neighbours have relegated their grandad to live in their garage. He coughs and spits (into cooking pan) all day & night.

Pull my curtains onto that view! Ugh!

[LoftyLottie]

Quite honestly flipnflap, I think the answers must indicate that there isn't really a solution to the problem. If anyone comes up with one (other than the usual jokers) I should be very surprised.

You can't ask someone who is coughing night and day and being sick to turn the volume down!!! If you live in a flat then I am afraid you have to expect things like this to happen. Your tenants will just have to move.